H.H. Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan

Sheikha Shamma bint Sultan bin Khalifa Al Nahyan is an entrepreneur, founder, and sustainability and climate change expert. In 2023 she was selected as a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader.

She is driven by the belief that creating change requires diverse stakeholders working together to find and implement interconnected macro- and micro-solutions that unlock progress. As a result, Sheikha Shamma has founded and leads a number of high-impact entities.

These include the UAE Independent Climate Change Accelerators (UICCA), which works to propel the growth of a thriving green economy by advancing green financing frameworks and advocating for effective policy and regulation, in order to accelerate the development and implementation of climate technology solutions. UICCA’s initiatives include a launchpad programme for climate SMEs, a policy think tank, and community engagement platforms intended to empower the most climate-vulnerable demographics.

Sheikha Shamma has played a significant role in inspiring climate action at a grassroots level in the UAE through the establishment of The Climate Tribe, a subsidiary of the UICCA focused on creative storytelling, impact production and community engagement.

She is also the Founder of Reset MENA, a consulting business which provides energy and water efficiency solutions, and Chairperson of Alliances for Global Sustainability, which identifies, advises and invests in high-performing sustainability ventures.

In addition, Sheikha Shamma is a senior advisor to and active member of many high-level councils, alliances and businesses, including the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center’s Women Leaders in Energy and Climate Fellowship (2022-2023 cohort); the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the Future of Net Zero Living; the Advisory Board of Yale’s Center for Environmental Law and Policy; the Emirates Green Building Council; and the UAE Circular Economy Council. In October 2024, she was also appointed Chairperson of the Advisory Board for Chapter Zero UAE.

Sheikha Shamma is the Co-Founder of Aurora50, an enterprise with a powerful vision to achieve gender balance in the workplace, while concurrently serving as the Chair of the Aurora50 Advisory Council.

She holds an MSt in Sustainability Leadership and an MPhil in Modern Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Cambridge.